Subdued Psych-Rockers Can Still Cause Hearing Loss

Over three albums, Comets on Fire proved themselves the type of band that compelled you to check the volume on your Discman/iPod before pressing play. Their take on psychedelia paired standard, bright organ tones and meandering guitar lines, furiously stirring them into a dusty typhoon of whirring Echoplex delay loops and inscrutable, near-hoarse vocals drifting by in ghostly waves. Or, for the crowd that craves conciseness: The band sounds like entropy put to CD.

But on their fourth LP (and second for Sub Pop), COF adopt a more structural approach. In terms of sheer intensity of sound, it's as if the Comets of old have been miniaturized and are looking up at you from inside a Grateful Dead lunch box. Frontman Ethan Miller's voice is unexpectedly decipherablesurprise, he sings about relationshipsand the tape machine has been shelved in favor of the Hammond organ. "Jaybird," for instance, is more studied Yardbirds tribute than reverb-heavy hootenanny. Still, within this self-imposed architecture, COF show off their familiarity with a blues hook as well as a sepia-toned vibe. "Holy Teeth" reassures the loud-as-shit Comets of old still have their bite, but "Sour Smoke" proves they can write a subdued summer stomp, too.

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Comets on Fire play the Knitting Factory September 8 at 8, $12$14, knittingfactory.com.